Michael J. Sangiacomo is president and chief executive officer of Recology and chairman of the board of trustees of the California Historical Society.

I’ve loved books since I was a kid. An almost complete collection of Edgar Rice Burroughs paperbacks (“Tarzan,” “Pellucidar,” “Mars!”) were my “elective” reading during high school.

My favorite, though, was a Penguin Classic paperback edition of “The Iliad.” “The wrath of Achilles” was Homer’s theme. I talked my mother into buying it for me when I was 14 or 15. I read that book cover to cover at least once a year for seven years.

I never really thought about why I enjoyed that book so much. It made me think about ancient civilizations that weren’t around anymore. It made me think about being the underdog, and about losing things that are important to you. It made me think about strategy. It made me think about relationships.

It made me think.

The Burroughs, Homer and most of the other books I thought were worth keeping were in my home in Sonoma. They burned, along with my home, during the Wine Country fires on Oct. 13, 2017. I miss them.